1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to communication terminals, and more particularly to a communication terminal that is applicable for communication to be made through a network.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There is known an Internet Phone offered by VocalTec Communications Ltd. which is software to enable telephonic communication through utilizing the Internet. If a communication terminal having such software installed thereon, is connected to the Internet, and then this software is started Lip on the Internet, the comminucation terminal is put into connection to a call center (repeater). In this state, if a global on-line directory is clicked, a list is displayed including other communication terminals now currently connected to the call center. If a desired communication terminal is opted from this list, its own communication terminal is brought into connection to that desired communication terminal via the call center. With the Internet Phone, it is possible to make telephonic communication with an opposite of communication in the above manner.
However, the global on-line directory has an entry including all the communication terminals currently connected to the call center. As a consequence, there existed difficulty in searching for a particular terminal from among those of the director.
Therefore, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a communication terminal which is capable of easily searching for a particular communication terminal.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a repeater which can cooperate with such a communication terminal.
It is further object of the present invention to provide another communication terminal which can cooperate with such a communication terminal.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide peripheral equipment which can cooperate with such communication terminal.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a computer-readable recording medium with which a particular opposing communication terminal can be easily searched for.
According to the present invention, a communication terminal for implementing communication through a repeater comprises: a memory holding an identifier; an establishing means for establishing a state of connection to the repeater; a first receiving means for receiving from the repeater an identifier to another communication terminal connected to the repeater; a search means for searching for a particular identifier associated with the identifier held in the memory from among a plurality to identifiers received by the receiving means; and a display means for displaying a predetermined character depending upon a result of search by the search means.
If a state of connection to the repeater is established, an identifier of another communication terminal connected to the repeater is received from the repeater by the first receiving means. The search means searches for a particular identifier associated with the identifier held in the memory from among a plurality of identifiers received by the first receiving means. The display means displays a predetermined character depending on a result of search by the search means.
In this manner, because the search means searches for a particular identifier from a plurality of identifiers and the display means displays a predetermined character depending on a result of search by the search means, it is possible to easily find a particular person at the other side of communications.
In one aspect of the present invention, the establishing means transmits a request to establish the connection state together with the identifier held in the memory to the repeater.
In another aspect of the present invention, if an accepting means accepts a communication start instruction, a request means requests to the repeater to start a communication with a particular communication terminal corresponding to the particular identifier in response to the communication start instruction, and a communication processing means performs communication processing with the particular communication terminal. Incidentally, the communication start instruction is input by selecting a character.
In one embodiment of the present invention, if a second receiving means receives a new identifier transmitted from the particular communication terminal, a write means writes the new identifier to the memory. This causes the current identifier held in the memory to be updated by the new identifier. Incidentally, the character to be displayed by the display possesses a shape corresponding to the identifier held in memory.
According to the present invention a repeater for repeating communication between a plurality of communication terminal, comprises: an establishing means for establishing state of connection with a communication terminal; a memory for holding an identifier of a communication terminal established in the connection state; a transmitting means for transmitting an identifier of a communication terminal being in a standby state to the communication terminal established in the connection state; and a relay processing means for performing relay processing with a desired communication terminal in response to a communication start request from the communication terminal established in the connection state.
If a state of connection to a communication terminal is established an identifier for this communication terminal is held in the memory. The transmitting means transmits an identifier for a communication terminal being in a standby state to the communication terminal thus established in connection state. The relay processing means makes relay processing for a desired communication terminal in response to a communication start request from the communication terminal established in the connection state. Incidentally, the standby state is a state that a connection state is established but not in communication.
According to the present invention, a communication terminal for implementing communication through a repeater, comprises: a memory for holding an identifier;
an establishing means for transmitting the identifier to the repeater and establishing a state of connection to the repeater; a receiving means for receiving through the repeater a Communication start request transmitted from another communication terminal; a communication processing means for performing communication processing with the other communication terminal in response to the communication start request: and a transmitting means for transmitting a new identifier different from the identifier to the other communication terminal when a predetermined relation is established to the other communication terminal.
If the establishing means transmits an identifier to the repeater to establish a state of connection to the repeater and the receiving means receives through the repeater a communication start request transmitted from another communication terminal, the communication processing means performs communication processing with the other communication terminal. If a predetermined relation is established to the other communication terminal, the transmitting means transmits a new identifier different from the identifier held in the memory to the other communication terminal.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the identifier includes at least torso category codes, one of the category codes representing a category that includes the category represented by the other category code. Further, the identifier held in the memory is different from the new identifier at least in the category code representative of a minimal or subset category.
According to the present invention, a computer readable recording medium for recording a program to be executed by a communication terminal for implementing communication through a repeater, the program comprising: an establishing step for establishing a state of connection to the repeater; a first receiving step for receiving from the repeater an identifier of another communication terminal connected to the repeater: a search step for searching for a particular identifier associated with the identifier held in the memory from among a plurality of identifiers received by the first receiving step; and a display step for displaying a predetermined character depending upon a result of search by the search step.
If in the establishing step a connection to the repeater is established, then the first receiving step makes reception from the repeater of an identifier for another communication terminal connected to the repeater. The search step searches for a particular identifier associated with the identifier held in the memory from among a plurality of identifiers received by the first receiving step. In the display step a predetermined character is displayed depending on a result of search by the search step.
In this manner because the search step searches for a particular identifier from a plurality of identifiers and the display step displays a predetermined character depending on a result of search by the search means, it is possible to easily find a particular person at the opposite side of communication.
In a certain embodiment of the present invention, the establishing step transmits to the repeater a request to establish the connection state together with the identifier held in the memory.
In one embodiment of the present invention, if an accepting step accepts a communication start instruction, a request step requests to the repeater to start communication with a particular communication terminal corresponding to the particular identifier in response to the communication start instruction. Also, a communication processing step performs communication processing with the particular communication terminal. Further, if a second receiving step receives a new identifier transmitted from the particular communication terminal, a write step writes the new identifier to memory. That is, the write step updates the identifier held in the memory by the new identifier.
According to the present invention, a communication terminal for implementing communication through a repeater, comprises: a memory for holding an identifier; an establishing means for establishing a state of connection to the repeater; a first transmitting means for transmitting to the repeater the identifier held in the memory; a first receiving means for receiving from the repeater a particular identifier associated with the identifier held in the memory; and a display means for displaying a predetermined character when an the particular identifier is received.
If the establishing means establishes a state of connection to the repeater, the first transmitting means transmits the identifier held in the memory to the repeater. If the first receiving means receives from the repeater a particular identifier associated with the identifier held in memory, the display means displays a predetermined character on the display.
In one aspect of the present invention an accepting, means accepts a communication start instruction, a request means requests to the repeater to start communication with a particular communication terminal having the particular identifier in response to the communication start instruction. A communication processing means performs communication processing with the particular communication terminal. Incidentally, the communication start instruction is meant to select the predetermined character.
In one embodiment of the present invention, if a second receiving means receives a new identifier transmitted from the particular communication terminal a write means writes the identifier to the memory. The write means updates the identifier held in the memory by the new identifier.
According to the present invention, a repeater for repeating communication, comprises: an establishing means for establishing a state of connection to a communication terminal; a memory for holding an identifier of a communication terminal established in connection state, a detecting means for detecting a particular identifier associated with an identifier to be noticed from among a plurality of identifiers held in the memory; a transmitting means for transmitting the particular identifier to a communication terminal having the identifier to be noticed; and a repeater processing means for relay processing with a particular communication terminal having the particular identifier in response to a communication start request from the communication terminal having the identifier to be identified.
If the establishing means establishes a state of connection to a communication terminal, an identifier for the communication terminal established in this connection state is stored in memory. The detecting means detects a particular identifier associated within an identifier to be noticed from among a plurality of identifiers held in the memory. The transmitting means transmits a detected particular identifier to a communication terminal having the identifier to be noticed. If a communication start request is given from the communication terminal having the identifier to be noticed, the relay processing means performs relay processing with the particular communication terminal having the particular identifier.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the detecting means detects the particular identifier from among identifiers for communication terminals which are established in the connection state but out of communication.
According to the present invention, a computer-readable recording medium for recording a program to be executed by a communication terminal to implement communication through a repeater, the program comprises: an establishing step for establishing a state of connection to the repeater; a first transmitting step for transmitting an identifier held in a memory to the repeater; a first receiving step for receiving from the repeater a particular identifier associated with the identifier held in the memory; and a display step for displaying a predetermined character when the particular identifier is received.
If a state of connection to the repeater is established by the establishing step, the first step transmits the identifier held in the memory to the repeater. If the first receiving step receives a particular identifier from the repeater, the display step displays a predetermined character.
In a certain aspect of the present invention, when an accepting step accepts a communication start instruction, a request step requests the repeater to start communication with a particular communication terminal having the particular identifier in response to the communication start instruction. A communication processing step performs communication processing with the particular communication terminal.
If a new identifier is transmitted from the particular communication terminal, this identifier is received by the second receiving step and written to the memory by the write step. In the write step, the current identifier held in the memory is updated by the new identifier.
According to the present invention, a peripheral equipment to be used together with a communication terminal for implementing communication through a repeater, comprises: a memory for holding an identifier associated with a particular communication terminal; an input means for inputting information; and an interface for providing the identifier and the information to the communication terminal.
The identifier associated with the particular communication terminal is held by the memory, and the information is inputted by the input means. The identifier and information are supplied to the communication terminal through the interface.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the input means inputs sound information and/or image information.
In one aspect of the present invention, if an intake means intakes a cartridge recorded with an identifier, a read means reads out the identifier recorded on the cartridge. An update means updates the identifier held in memory by the identifier read out by the read means.
Further, a write means writes the identifier held in the memory to the cartridge. Here, the write means updates the identifier recorded on the cartridge by the identifier held in the memory.